Experience of My Life

This story comes to us from Kathy in Lowell, Mich. It is entered in our camping category, adult division. Kathy relates a story that, as she put it, was “the experience of my life.” I think you’ll see why! She writes:

We camped at Grand Haven for many years.

We ride our bikes up and down the boardwalk when we are staying at the campground.

July 2, 2004 I had the experience of my life.

I was riding my bike on the board walk and came upon a city truck parked right in front of me. I had to make a decision of which side I would go around the truck. I chose the channel side. I was going around the truck and did not allow enough room for the side mirror. I bumped the side of the truck with my bike and both my bike and I went into the channel. Scared to death I yelled, “Oh my God.” Everything happened so fast. I was then looking up and saw sunlight. I knew I had to swim to the top of the water if I was going to survive.

I started to swim the best I could toward the top of the water.

My dear husband, who didn’t give it a second thought, threw his bike down and dove in after I went in. He was there at the very minute I started to try and swim up. He pushed me to the side wall where there was a ladder to grab on to.

The boardwalk filled up with concerned onlookers, coaxing me to climb up the ladder. I could not. My shoulder and legs tangled with the bike and were not cooperating.

There were police cars, emergency units, and an ambulance above me on the boardwalk. I could not make it to the top. The Coast Guard then pulled up beneath me and got me into their boat. I was taken down the channel with their sirens and flashing lights to the boat launch where the ambulance was waiting for me.

I entered the hospital and the nurses were there to meet me. They said, “We’ve been waiting for you Mrs. Kneivel.”

Praise God. I only ended up with a dislocated shoulder and two badly bruised legs.

Divers pulled my bike out of the channel. There were many onlookers and the story went like this:

“Did she make it?”

“No. They just found the bike.”

I made the paper and the local radio station.

I received many items and comments during my recovery. I received swimmies and the newspaper clippings. I came home one day and one of my grandsons had made a sign and posted it to the front porch. It read, “Kathy Kneivel.”

People still say things when I am riding my bike by my house and it is by the river.

My other grandson made a remark as I was writing this story. He said, “She dodged the mirror and fell off the pier.”